Conflict of Heart

Chapter 29

Isabella felt uneasiness pool in her stomach as she stopped her car by the ostentatious fountain before her home. She could hear the sound of trickling water from her car, and sometimes, in the quiet of the night, she could hear it from her bedroom window. It was such a soothing sound, like a mother murmuring a lullaby to her new born child. But it didn't seem to have the same quality to it this morning.

Her heart hammered in her chest, and her fingers were shaking from her nervousness as she grabbed her bag. A groundsman rushed up to her car then and opened the door for her. She smiled at him, but she didn't have to see her reflection to know that it was tight.

"I'll be leaving again in a few minutes," she said to him.

The man nodded and closed the door behind her before rushing up the steps to open the front door.

"Thank you," she said to him as she reached him.

She hesitated for only a moment before stepping inside. She had hoped to come home to her sister still sleeping, or at least, not ready to leave just yet so that she could quickly sneak her phone back to its spot.

But her hope was shattered the moment the front door closed behind her, and she saw Rosa standing in the middle of the foyer with her arms crossed over her chest. For a brief moment, Isabella felt like a teenager who had been caught sneaking out, and her fingers tightened their hold on her bag in response.

Rosa was dressed in her riding gear, but because her dark hair did not look in the least bit unruly, Isabella surmised that she was about to go for a ride. And she always took her phone with her.

Shoot.

Isabella offered her a small, welcoming smile. "Good morning."

Maybe . . . maybe if she played ignorant, her sister won't question her.

Rosa's sapphire gaze bore into hers, her chin raised and expression stern. "You took my phone," she stated bluntly.

Isabella cursed her luck and gritted her teeth, remaining silent. Rosa's expression hardened, challenging her to deny it. But it was so blindingly obvious to the both of them just by looking at Isabella's body language alone, like a child with her hand caught in the cookie jar.

"Yes," Isabella eventually admitted on a sigh, "I asked Ryker to find out who sent the photo."

Rosa's eyes narrowed. "And you were with him the whole night?"

Isabella bristled, hating the accusation in her sister's voice. But she drew a deep breath into her lungs to calm herself, remembering that her sister had every right to be annoyed with her. "Nothing happened between us," she began in a steady tone. "It just took a long time to—"

"I really don't care. Just give my phone back."

Isabella froze, having never been spoken to so harshly by her sister before. She looked at her, and if she could have viewed her heart in that moment, she was sure that a tear had formed from the look of disdain and distrust on her sister's face.

She pressed her lips together and unzipped her bag, scratching around briefly before clasping the cool metal in her fingers. "The person who took the picture is untraceable," she began slowly as she held out the phone to her sister. "Ryker said they probably weren't interested in money."

Rosa only glared at her as she stepped up to her. "Yes, I'm sure you and Ryker had plenty of time to talk."

Isabella's lips parted in shock, her grip tightening on the phone. "Rosa . . . I'm trying, okay? Whatever you think is going on between Ryker and I is not true. How many times do I have to keep telling you that? What do I have to do to stop you from being like this to me?"